Older Homeowners Lose Thousands When Selling, Research Shows

Deferred maintenance, pressure to sell quickly, and reluctance to ask for help create vulnerabilities for aging sellers.

Published on Feb. 10, 2026

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New research from the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College reveals that older homeowners, starting at age 70, tend to get worse deals when selling their homes compared to middle-aged sellers. The study found that 80-year-olds can lose around $20,000 on a typical home sale. Two main drivers are cited: homes sold by older owners often need more repairs, and they are more likely to sell privately rather than listing on the MLS, where competition drives up prices.

Why it matters

For many older Americans, their home represents their largest asset and a key part of their retirement security. The findings suggest a troubling pattern where aging homeowners are vulnerable to predatory real estate practices that can significantly erode their home equity at a critical time.

The details

The research points to several factors that contribute to older sellers getting worse deals, including deferred home maintenance, external pressure to sell quickly (often from retirement communities), and a reluctance to ask for help or involve family members as advocates. Older homeowners may not notice small issues that affect a home's value, while also feeling pressure to sell privately or 'as-is' to avoid hassle, which allows agents to steer them toward lower-paying investors.

  • The Center for Retirement Research at Boston College analyzed data related to 10 million repeat home sales.

The players

Center for Retirement Research at Boston College

A research center that conducted an analysis revealing the troubling pattern of older homeowners receiving worse deals when selling their homes.

Claudia Zucker

A real estate agent in upstate New York with over 40 years of experience who has observed the vulnerabilities of older home sellers.

Evan Farr

A certified elder law attorney and retirement planner in Virginia who has seen how external pressures can force older homeowners to sell quickly for less.

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What they’re saying

“What some older people don't realize, because they live in their home and they love their home, is that just a little painting inside, or doing a little planting, will increase the value of their home. They just don't see it.”

— Claudia Zucker, Real estate agent (nypost.com)

“Many older home sellers are selling because they want to move to a retirement community, often a Continuing Care Retirement Community. And the CCRCs put tremendous pressure on people wanting to move in to sell their house ASAP in order to fund the 'buy in' amount. Some CCRCs even steer potential residents to their own internal list of recommended agents to sell as quickly as possible.”

— Evan Farr, Certified elder law attorney and retirement planner (nypost.com)

“My whole thing is, you protect your seller, you take care of your seller. And there are problems if you are just trying to make a commission.”

— Claudia Zucker, Real estate agent (nypost.com)

What’s next

The judge in the case will decide on Tuesday whether or not to allow Walker Reed Quinn out on bail.

The takeaway

This research highlights the vulnerabilities older homeowners face when selling their homes, from deferred maintenance to predatory real estate practices. By understanding these risks and enlisting trusted advocates, older sellers can better protect their home equity and maximize the proceeds from this critical asset.